BRASILIAN MOMOT. 43 



and seems to be chiefly found in Brasil. It appears 

 to have been first described by Hernandez in his 

 History of Mexico. His description, however, is 

 very slight and inaccurate. " It is, says he, of the 

 size of a Dove, and has scarlet eyes, w^ith a black 

 pupil : a crooked blackish bill, almost three inches 

 long, sharp-pointed, with the lower mandible short- 

 est, and the upper serrated: the head is blue like 

 that of a Peacock ; the legs and feet brown, and the 

 rest of the bird green ; and what is extraordinary 

 is, that the tail has one quill longer than the rest, 

 and feathered only at the end." This mistake of 

 Hernandez did not escape the notice of Mr. Ray, 

 who, in his edition of Willoughby's Ornithology, 

 thus expresses himself. " This is, I dare say, 

 more strange than true; for the tails of ail birds 

 I ever yet saw have their feathers growing by 

 pairs, that is, two of a sort, on each side one." 



In the year 1 764 was published a very correct 

 description of this elegant bird by the ingenious 

 Edwards, accompanied by an accurate figure. 

 Edwards considered it as a kind of Roller, and 

 has named it the Saw-billed Roller. " It is, says 

 he, short-legged in proportion, and not long- 

 winged: the bill is pretty strait, moderately bend- 

 ing downwards at the point, toothed on the edges 

 like a saw; the upper mandible dusky, the nethern 

 flesh-coloured towards its basis: the nostrils are 

 covered with small black feathers, and some black 

 bristles pointing forward round the upper mandi- 

 ble: the upper part and sides of the bill are in- 

 compassed with black, from which run black lines 



